30 Ways in Which I Love You
by Fire.Bird.Fly
Summary: Hinata suddenly realises her love for a certain red-headed Kazekage who doesn't even know she exists. When she finally decides to find ways to show him her liking for him she hopes he'll like her back. But what if all her efforts are futile and too small?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- Hi guys! How are you? ^^  
>I haven't been writing in so long (Yes, I suck, I know) because I've had a HUGE writers' block (life-long, may I add) but hopefully I will make it up to you now! This is a Naruto fic, with GaaraXHinata pairing!<br>Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto (I don't get why people need to include this, but whatever. Shouldn't you know already? 'Course none of us own Naruto… Right?) **

The bench felt hard underneath me as I watched the glowing pink light of dawn creep over the bold outline of the faraway hills, seeming to set the trees around the grounds on fire. The dull clanging of metal, a few stray barks and the buzzing of a few bugs brought me with a jolt back to reality and I decided to turn around and watch the fight. I was actually fighting too, until my teammates and sensei accused me of spacing out and I was sentenced to the bench. All in all, it wasn't actually bad sitting on the time-out bench; the scenery was more than capable of taking your breath away and if you got bored there was the fight to watch. But to be honest, I _had _been a bit distracted lately…

With someone. When my 'crush' on Naruto ended I realized I liked someone else. It was probably because I didn't do anything… Maybe if I did something he would've liked me back…

But I don't think he even knows my name… After all, he is high-ranking. Maybe it would be a big waste of time to pursue him. But maybe, just maybe… After a while, of course… Could he like me back?

Then suddenly, a loud voice brought me with a bump back into reality. Again. I was getting quite sick of it, actually, but maybe she couldn't help it, maybe I was just mean… People always say I'm timid and shy and that I should be braver. Maybe I should. Maybe, always maybe.

I snapped around with wide eyes as my sensei sat next to me.

"Distracted, Hinata?" She suggested in an amused tone, her pretty garnet eyes twinkling with humor.

"K-Kurenai-sensei! N-No, I'm not, I-I was just… t-thinking." I stammered as her eyes pierced into me.

"Could you possibly be thinking about someone?" She sneakily commented, so casually I nearly blurted everything out. On the verge of saying all my secrets, a little part of me tugged, and I bit my lip, angry with myself for being about to say something I shouldn't have.

Looking slightly disappointed, she said to me, "Well, Hinata, I know that look very well. I had that look once too."

I looked at her in shock.

"You, Kurenai-sensei?" I said in surprise, amazed that I didn't stutter. "With who?"  
>At the time I didn't realize that I had let something very <em>dangerous <em>loose. I had practically just admitted to have been thinking of someone.

"Who? Asuma, of course!" She laughed. "What about you?"

"G… T-That's personal!" I stammered back to her, wishing I was anywhere but the place I was.  
>Unfortunately for me, my sensei was smart, and she soon realized that there was only one person in my age group whose name started with G.<p>

"Ah, I see." She nodded approvingly. "You have good taste, Hinata. But be careful; he'll disappear soon if you are too slow."

I didn't say anything. Disappear? What did she mean? How could I say I liked him if he didn't even know who I was? I sighed. It was the exact same with Naruto.

"He is like a rose, Hinata. Beautiful they may be, but you need to take good care of them or they'll wilt and die. If you don't let it know you care by helping it grow it will never bloom. But if you give it love… It will become most beautiful." Kurenai said softly, the wind blowing through her thick, black wavy hair.

"But… W-What if the r-rose… What i-if it doesn't k-know?"

Kurenai smiled at me.

"Then you need to tell it."

And with that, she left, leaving me to ponder over her words. Her words echoed in my head. I sniffed the deep fragrances of spring and let the wind blow through my hair. I hardly even realized the falling color of night, as if a giant had wrapped up the world in a blanket of dark velvet, lit up by little holes of light.

My teammates came the next day with my sensei and found me sitting there. They exclaimed in surprise, all except my sensei. She just smiled a secret little smile and after sending the boys off to fight sat down next to me again.

"So, have you thought about it?" She asked me curiously.

"…Y-Yes. I h-have decided." I answered with a torrent of butterflies raging a war in my stomach.

"Hmm… So what have you decided?"

"I'll l-let it. I-I'll make that r-rose bloom."

"So you decided to let it bloom. But Hinata, it won't be easy." She warned me after getting up to help the boys. "We'll talk again tomorrow."

And so that was that. Unable to practice again, I sat on the bench. Could I really do it? I was so small, so timid, so insecure. How could I make that rose bloom?

I barely noticed anything as I dragged myself to my home. Of course, no one even noticed my absence. The dust mites were regarded of a higher level than I was. I flopped onto my bed, thinking even more. I sighed and turned over. I'd think about it tomorrow. A few minutes more and I realized that an attempt at sleeping or not thinking was impossible. I just couldn't get him out of my head.

I arrived at the training grounds the next day looking like a zombie. As the boys (mainly Kiba) scolded me, Kurenai-sensei just shot me a little clucking noise. It sounded like something along the lines of- _Poor thing; must be worse than I thought._

As the usual routine followed, I found myself sitting next to her again.

"You didn't get much sleep, I see." She commented.

"N-No. I w-was thinking…" I replied tiredly.

She looked at me thoughtfully and seemed to be thinking. We sat in silence for a while, the only noises being the sounds of battle.

"A-Actually…" I began, uncomfortable at the look of surprise on her face when I spoke first, "I w-was thinking… M-Maybe I s-should… Start s-soon."

"Yes, you should." She agreed quickly.

And once again, she abandoned me for training. I was so annoyed I nearly started screaming. _How? _I felt like shouting, _How can I tell him! _

And then it suddenly came to me. It was so simple, so very obvious I was surprised I didn't think of it before.

"E-Easy. I j-just have to m-make h-him fall i-in love with m-me." I muttered to myself.

I just needed to find some ways to show him…

Then I sighed. Easier said than done.

**Please review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Hi guyz! Why did I only get one review! Please review! PLEASE! I feel so sad…  
>Also, it would be appreciated if someone reviewed on my summary… I just can't get it right!<strong>

Chapter 2

Hinata peered through the small peep-hole she made in the hedge and looked cautiously into the training grounds. He cheeks coloured when her eyes found Gaara.

_Gaara…_

She sighed as she continued watching the redhead in a state of desperation.

"Hinata?" A voice sounded behind her.

Automatically, a scream burst from her mouth and she shot up, in plain view of the people training.

Temari looked at her in a '_Are you insane?' _kind of way.

"Ano, T-Temari-san… I w-was just, u-uh… Passing b-by…" She stammered, hoping that Gaara didn't notice her.

"Hm. Passing by, were you?" She mused to herself. "Riiiiight."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"… So, why are you watching my baby brother?"

Hinata gaped. Was it really so obvious? Fortunately for her, Gaara and his sparring-mate didn't enjoy listening to girls as they had resumed their fight.

"U-U-Uh… W-Why would y-y-you think t-that?" Hinata spluttered incoherently.

"Oh, I was right?"

_Oh, crap. _(A/N- hah, who knew Hinata could use a word like that?)

"Uh… N-No… N-No…"

Temari smirked at the nervous beauty and pulled at a stray foot dangling out of the hedge.

_No! Anyone but Shikamaru… He'd figure it out right away…_

Shikamaru's head popped out of the hedge.

… _Did I do something bad?_

"He told me." Temari said, jabbing her thumb in Shikamaru's direction.

_Ah, so that was why. Phew, I thought she could actually tell…_

"But it's pretty obvious."

… _Or not. _

Dragging the male with her, the pretty woman passed by Hinata, whispering in her ear,

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't like anyone, so good luck!"

Hinata turned beet red.

._._.-.-.-_._.-.-.

"Huh. So Hinata likes Gaara."

"Hm… I wonder if they'll get together."

"Nah, it'll be like Hinata's crush on Naruto."

Temari smiled. Being a guy, he didn't get girls.

"Well, well. Never thought I'd see the day."

"…?"

"The first time THE Shikamaru Nara gets something wrong."

._._.-.-.-_._.-.-.

Hinata felt like she would collapse. She was safe. She sank gratefully onto the ground.

Peep.

…Peep.

…

…Peep.

Okay, whatever.

The Hyuga Hinata was back at the hedge.

._._.-.-.-_._.-.-.

I sat down on the bench, noticing the strip of dark blue that was over the hedge. It looked like a very interesting part of the hedge. Rather hairy. Like hair.

I snorted at the attempt and chugged down some water.

"Ne~! Gaara, aren't you gonna invite her over to sit?" Naruto's annoying head popped in front of my face.

"No." The answer was so fast he looked momentarily stunned. Then he shrugged and went over to invite her. I just shrugged. His loss if it was some Sasuke-crazy girl intent on using him as a ransom. Not that Sasuke would rescue him.

The likeliness was laughable. All Sasuke had to do was look at her and Naruto would be forgotten.

I was broken out of amusing fantasy as I notice weight settling on the other side of the bench. Enough for two people. My eyes narrowed.

"So, no ransom." I commented idly, watching their shocked faces. The girl looked rather nervous. It was quite entertaining to watch.

"Gaara, man, are you alright?" Naruto asked my uncertainly.

I glared at him.

_What do you think, idiot?_

But I didn't say it. It would just be a waste of oxygen.

"This is Hinata!" He introduced proudly, like it was some great feat.

"I know." I reminded him.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over me. I looked up, startled and bugged off that my sunshine was gone. It was cold.

"Well, well. What are YOU doing here?" An obnoxious voice sounded out.

I saw the girl next to Naruto stiffen. She turned her gaze onto the annoying girl. To my surprise, her gaze hardened.

"I don't need to tell you." She hissed, but I could tell she was trying hard not to stutter. (A/N- Here, I couldn't put in what Hinata was feeling because it's Gaara's pov, so she's just trying to look good in front of him.)

"What's YOUR problem?" The annoying girl shot back.

"You."

I chuckled. Ah, this was going to be interesting. Luckily, my little… Chuckle (A/N- Laugh sounds… unmanly.) didn't interrupt them.

"**LISTEN**, you.** I** am the **GREAT, AMAZING **girl; **TENKATSU FUJI!**" She shouted.

Okay, this girl was annoying. The number of places she raised her voice was giving me a headache. What _normal _person does that? Oh, wait, I forgot. She's not normal; she's much more annoying, loud, and just… Annoying.

I could tell that Naruto and Hinata were getting headaches too.

"Well, listen, Fuji-Apple-san. I don't care, so just go away!" Hinata shot back in an annoyed tone. Ooh, impressive.

"**NO, ****YOU**listen. **THESE **boys want to stay with **ME! SO, **why don't **YOU **go away, **HUH?**"

What. The. Hell. I feel like punching her face out.

"No, we don't." I sighed smoothly.

The F-girl gaped at me.

"**WHY?" **She sobbed.

"You're annoying."

"**BUT TENKATSU FUJI IS GREAT!" **She hiccupped, **"TENKATSU FUJI EVEN RULES THE ALPHABET; TANKATSU FUJI IS AWESOME, BEAUTIFUL, CUDDLY, DYNAMIC, ELITE, FAITHFUL, GLORIOUS, HOLY, INCREDIBLE/INSPIRATIONAL…"**

Meanwhile, we talked quietly amongst ourselves, thinking up other words to describe her.

"…**WONDERFUL, XENODOCHIAL, YOUNG AND ZAZZY! WHY WOULDN'T YOU LIKE ****TENKATSU FUJI!" **

We all stared in wonder at her.

"**I **memorized those **BIG **words!" She shrieked at us ear-splittingly.

She seemed to have recovered a bit. But knowing big words didn't change the fact that she was annoying. She didn't even say xenodochial properly.

5 minutes later, she ran out, make-up streaked, hair messed up, clothes tattered and bawling. You'd think we'd tried to kill her.

Then there was an awkward silence. Somewhere, a cricket decided to chirp, just to rub it in.

Suddenly, Naruto jumped up, probably uncomfortable. I felt a little stir of something. What was it… Pity?

I took one look at his face and decided it wasn't pity after all. Must have been something else. Because the look on his face clearly showed that he was just itching for food. That little…

"A-Ano? G-G-Gaara-kun?"

I flicked a glance at her, causing her to slowly turn pink. Then red. And then she was on fire. I stopped myself from sniggering at her. If I sniggered there was a high probability of her blowing up.

"What?" I asked her, wondering why she hadn't left.

_She stutters too much… _

"A-A-Ano… I-It's night…" She stammered to me. I looked up. Hm. True. It was night.

I looked down again, only to see her staring at me with a weird sort of fascination. I narrowed my eyes at her slightly and she squeaked and averted her gaze. I scoffed inwardly.

"I can tell." I told her matter-of-factly.

She turned red again. That must be bad for her health, changing temperatures all the time…

"G-G-Gomen…" She apologized.

"I don't really care." I reassured her.

More silence. I inhaled the sweet fragrances swimming about, thinking. The black of night calmed me; it was the time of sleep, the time for day to rest, the time for the stars to come out. And most of all, it was the time for me. Even though I was different now, people were still wary of me. I myself had doubt, but in the night, by myself, I was free. Except for now. Because a certain person was here.

"Won't your family be worried? You should head home." I suggested, hinting that she should leave. Unfortunately, she didn't take it. Instead, she turned a bright cherry red. Again. It was getting annoying. I had enough red for the day.

"A-Ah… T-They don't n-notice…" She admitted.

I looked at her in surprise. _So, she isn't wanted either… _Feeling understanding, I said nothing.  
>We sat side by side on the bench, neither of us talking, both of us just peacefully looking at the stars. I didn't like to say it, but it was quite nice. To feel accepted. It was nice…<p>

Until the rain started pouring down onto us. Startled, I raised my arms over my head by instinct. My eyes swept the grounds, looking for anything that could possibly substitute for an umbrella. I growled. _Naruto…_

_**Flashback**_

"_Hey, Gaara, it's definitely not going to rain at all today, so can I borrow your umbrella?"_

"_What for?" I asked the blonde curiously._

"_Oh, I just need to examine an umbrella." _

"… _Well, whatever."_

I seethed. Wasn't going to rain? If it wasn't going to rain at all today, why was it raining?

I sighed and walking out into the rain. The rain hit my back hard, soon soaking through the fabric. I shivered unconsciously as I trudged down the muddy paths. Suddenly, the rain. Stopped. Or, to be more accurate, it stopped raining on me. Suspicious, I looked up only to see a perfect green sky. I heard breathing next to me, and turning my head slightly, I made out Hinata. I looked at her in surprise. _What was she doing?_

"Y-You looked c-cold…" She stuttered lamely.

I kept staring. How interesting. Did people really do these kinds of things? Under my gaze, she turned a bit pink but didn't move.

"… Thanks." I murmured to her softly.

Through all the rain, I wondered if she heard it. She didn't reply, but continued walking slowly; as if scared I would disappear if she kept walking. I quickly walked with her, slowing down my pace to match hers.

The rain battered down on the umbrella, cold and fierce. But underneath the umbrella, we were dry. We walked in silence, together, under the dark sky which was crying. I wondered why. We arrived at my house, and I briefly wondered how she knew.

I looked at her.

"Do you want me to walk you to your house?" I asked her.

She _was _a girl, after all.

"O-Oh… N-No, n-no one at m-my house c-cares, a-anyway, and h-how will y-y-you get h-home?" She spoke quietly to me.

I felt a little pang. _No one at my house cares, anyway…_

I smiled bitterly. I used to be like that, too. I still was, a little. I knew how it felt.

"It doesn't matter." I said, giving her a small smile.

And so, the walk to my house was in vain. Because in the end we headed back to her house together. But I felt rather peaceful. It felt nice walking with someone in the rain…

And just before I took the first steps away from her, I thought I heard her say,

"Thank you."

… Oh yes. I just remembered. I looked down, only to see a little green rolled up umbrella in my hand. I opened it up and started walking back home, the rain making little pitter-patter noises on top.

I smiled. I would need to return it.

**A/N- Thanks for reading, and please REVIEW!**

**Special thanks to **

**UzumakiHinata167 for reviewing on my first chapter first!**

**Ame Ichiya for writing totally awesome reviews! **

**Neontape for being nice and reviewing!**

**Thank you all!**


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